Deciphering Flight Disruption: Understanding Compensation vs. Refunds

Tips and Tricks

First of all, let us remember that a flight can be cancelled when:

1. The scheduled flight is cancelled and travellers are transferred to another scheduled flight.
2. The plane takes off but is forced to return to the airport after the departure and passengers are transferred to another flight.

From our experience, one of the major factors for cancelled flight compensation approval is the time period when the air passenger was informed about the flight changes. 

Be Informed More Than 14 Days Before Flight

Your flight was cancelled more than 14 days before the originally scheduled flight. Here is what you can do:

• Receive a partial or full refund of the flight ticket price within seven days, depending on the conditions of the cancellation
• Accept the new flight option (re-routing) provided by an airline or ticket distributor.

If you select one of the options above, the airline company is not eligible to compensate for an additional flight disruption.

Extra tip: purchase flight tickets from the airlines directly. You will receive updates regarding your flight status or changes much faster. 

Be Informed Less Than 14 Days Before Flight

If an airline informs passengers about the flight being cancelled less than 14 days before it was scheduled to operate or the passengers find out about the cancellation at the airport, more options appear.

You can choose:

• To receive a partial or full refund of the flight ticket price within seven days, depending on the conditions of the cancellation.
• To accept new flight options (re-routing), provided by the airline.

But that is not all. You are also eligible for additional flight compensation if you select the options above. The amount is already set by Regulation EC261/2004 and depends on the distance between the airports and the delay period when you have to reach your final destination.

But there here is a twist. If an airline can prove that the reason for disruption was not their fault (i.e. adverse weather conditions, airport issues, or air traffic restrictions), an airline is not obliged to pay additional compensation. 

It is crucial to keep all the messages and emails from the airline for evidence purposes. It will help prove that you have yet to be informed on time in the event of a conflict of interest.

So what is the biggest difference between a ticket refund and a flight compensation?

• Reimbursement for an unused ticket for a cancelled flight is known as a ticket refund.
• An additional flight compensation is a monetary compensation for experiencing a flight disruption such as flight cancellation, significant delay or overbooking.

If you still have unanswered questions, you are welcome to check our FAQ section.